No traveler?

[rtaylor82]

After spending a large part of my day reading all the topics in this section, I am dying to get out on the water and play with my sails...

I just have one problem. I don't have a traveler on my Hunter 27. It has a bridle (I think it's called) over the companion way... So after learning about twist etc I have no idea how to implement it.

How wrong would it be to use the topping lift to set a twist? Where does the topping lift come in to this or does it at all?

Thanks so much for your time.
p.s.
I'm ordering the chart and guide next week. Hopefully those will clear up all the other questions bouncing around my head

 

[Brian M H23]

Do you have a vang?
In lighter to medium air, you can "Vang sheet" where the vang sets the boom height, while the mainsheet only controls horizontal motion. Let the main bridle more or less slack, and set the twist with the vang. Then use only the bridle opposite the boom, with the one on the same side of the boat as boom, slack.

If the wind or waves pick up, this isn't great, it really wears on your boom. But in lighter stuff it is great.

Topping lift would only be useful if you wanted more twist than a fully eased vang gives you. In light, rolly stuff, I like to snug up the topping lift and vang at my "desire twist" point. This keeps the boom from shaking up and down with each wave.

 

[Alan]

Forget the topping lift as a sail trim control, it isn't. But your lack of traveler is extremely disconcerting. Somehow there needs to be a means to be able to adjust angle of attack without changing sail shape. If you give us a picture of your cockpit I'm quite sure we can find a way to mount a traveler which is desperately needed to sail properly.

 

[rtaylor82]

Brian, yes it has a vang. I don't have to worry about waves on the lake so the boom doesn't bounce around a lot.

Alan, I am heading to the boat tomorrow so maybe I can take a better picture then. This is the best picture I could find now.. I wonder how Hunter planned on getting the correct trim/shape without a traveler. Any suggestions until I'm able to add one?

 

[OldCat]

You will need to learn about vang sheeting. Even though I have a traveller, it is of limited use because it is short and end boom. So, I vang sheet - to one degree or another - in all winds, including high winds. What you do is use the vang to control leech tension and the mainsheet to control angle of attack. At least until, or if, you want to spend bux on a traveller.

It takes major surgery on my boat to change the traveller - so vang sheeting is pretty much required - it ought to work on yours as well.

OC

 

[rtaylor82]

Ok. Vang sheeting makes sense after some google research. I ran across this:

In these conditions, your mainsheet actually acts like the traveler track above,
controlling the in and out movement of the boom, while the vang acts like the mainsheet above,
controlling the up and down movement of the boom. Often you will hear reference to ‘vang sheeting.’ This
is what is meant by vang sheeting – to control the leech tension with the vang and control angle of attack
with the mainsheet.

Reference:
http://www.v15.org/articles/MainsheetTrim.PDF

 

[Jim 5757]

Our Morgan 28 had (I think) a similar setup in the form of an "A" frame mainsheet mounted either side of the companionway. If we wanted to let out the sail, it automatically allowed the boom to rise - unless we hauled in the vang. Alternatively, sheeting in also lowered the boom (yeah... unless we also tightened up the topping lift!). Rather cumbersome and not very useful either.
Anyway, we replaced this setup last year with a genuine traveller from Garhauer. What a pleasure this is! We needed standoffs to raise the traveller above the companionway hatch, so Guido had a pair custom made at no extra cost. Believe me... it was worth every penny!:dance: Check out their web site and compare their product with the very expensive Harken unit.

 

[rtaylor82]

Jim, you're exactly right and that's exactly what I need! Did you order the standard traveler or the traveler and riser stands ? looks good.

Is that mid-boom? It seems so close to the mast. Do you have a vang as well?

 

[Clark]

Be careful Ryan. It looks like a traveler track mounted where the existing bridle anchors would be a head banger getting in and out of the companionway. If you move it as far forward as is reasonable, will it have enough purchase on the boom?

 

[rtaylor82]

Exactly what I was wondering... hmmm. I'm going to check it out this weekend. Maybe if it is raised high enough it will not get in the way..

 

[Bill Roosa]

How a bridal works

The bridal is a triangle. You should be able to set each side independently. That means it acts as both a traveler AND a sheet.
You can set the point where the bridal attaches to the boom anywhere you like when the boom is between where the bridal attaches to the deck. That covers going to windward. You can use the boom van AND bridal to set it when the boom is outside of the points where the bridal attaches to the deck. And that covers the rest of the points of sail.
Going to windward, use the leeward bridal line to set the twist and the windward to set the boom angle

 

[rtaylor82]

That seems logical. I don't have separate bridal lines... So maybe it's not called a bridal. I'll have to take pictures this weekend as I can't seem to find one on the Internet. There is only one mainsheet and it runs back and forth about 3 times. I'll post pics after this weekend. Thank you for your suggestions

 

[Jim 5757]

OK, if you look at the pic, we mounted the traveller just forward of the fully-opened hatch. In order to clear the hatch cover, the M28 required 5" riser to port and 6" riser at starboard (the deck isn't symmetrical about the centerline). One must be very careful to insure the vertical distance from boom to traveller is exactly the same from side to side; otherwise, you'll be changing the trim as you travel back & forth.
Clark, if you look again at the pic in my previous post, you can see the original anchors on either side of the companionway, which is exactly what Ryan describes: double block w/becket to stbd, triple w/becket at the boom, and fiddle block w/cam cleat to port. there was no way to independently adjust as Bill is suggesting.
Ryan, if you have any detailed questions regarding your boat, call Guido at Garhauer; he is a wealth of knowledge, and will be happy yo assist in picking out exactly what you need. And if you can, visit them at the Annapolis Boat Show this weekend where you can check out everything in person

 

[rtaylor82]

Thanks Jim, I can't get to the show but I will call.